This invention relates to a disposable garment such as a pants-type or open-type disposable diaper, or training pants.
Japanese Patent Application Disclosure No. 1997-56746 describes a disposable garment comprising a pants-shaped basic structure and a liquid-absorbent pad attached to the inner surface of the basic structure. The basic structure has a first elastically stretchable zone formed in the vicinity of a waist-opening and a second elastically stretchable zone in waist regions extending immediately above a crotch region which is, in turn, stretchable longitudinally of the pants-shaped basic structure. Portions of the pad extending outward beyond its longitudinally opposite ends are respectively joined to longitudinally opposite end portions of the basic structure including said first elastically stretchable zone. The known garment adopts such arrangement and thereby intends to prevent the garment put on a wearer""s body from slipping down.
Japanese Patent Application Disclosure No. 1997-56747 describes a disposable garment comprising a pants-shaped basic structure and an absorbent pad attached to the inner surface of the basic structure. Longitudinally opposite end portions of the pad are joined to the basic structure in the vicinity of its waist-opening and the pad is joined at its central zone to a crotch region of the basic structure. This known garment adopts such arrangement and thereby intends to prevent the pad from moving with respect to the basic structure.
A combination of the garment described in the aforesaid Japanese Patent Application Disclosure No. 1997-56746 and the garment described in the aforesaid Japanese Patent Application Disclosure No. 1997-56747 may suggest a garment more or less improved over the article disclosed in respective one of these two documents. The garment suggested hereby comprises a pants-shaped basic structure (corresponding to an outer panel according to this invention) and an absorbent pad (corresponding to an inner panel according to this invention) attached to the inner surface of said basic structure. The basic structure has a first elastically stretchable zone formed in the vicinity of a waist-opening, a second elastically stretchable zone formed in waist regions extending immediately above a crotch region which is, in turn, stretchable longitudinally of the pants-shaped basic structure. The longitudinally opposite end portions of the pad are respectively joined to the longitudinally opposite end portions of the basic structure including the first elastically stretchable zone and the pad is joined at its central zone to the crotch region of the basic structure.
The garment suggested by the combination of these two garments respectively disclosed in the aforesaid Applications may prevent the garment put on a wearer""s body with the pad closely placed against the wearer""s crotch from slipping down and prevent the pad from floating or shifting sideways with respect to the wearer""s crotch.
However, according to this garment suggested by the combination of the two garments, the non-stretchable longitudinally opposite end portions of the pad are respectively joined to the longitudinally opposite end portions of the basic structure. If this operation of joining is carried out with the first elastically stretchable zone being not tensioned, a portion of the first elastically stretchable zone in these joined regions may be prevented from presenting its stretchability. In other words, only the portion of the first elastically stretchable zone lying in the region other than the joined regions cannot present a stretchability sufficient to ensure a desired fitness of the basic structure""s waist regions around a wearer""s body. On the contrary, if the longitudinally opposite end portions of the pad are respectively joined to the longitudinally opposite end portions with the first elastically stretchable zone being tensioned, contraction of the first elastically stretchable zone may form a plurality of gathers along the longitudinally opposite end portions of the pad. These gathers would come in contact with a wearer""s body as the garment is put on and may give the wearer a feeling of incompatibility.
It is an object of this invention to provide a disposable garment improved so that the waist regions may well fit to the wearer""s body under the unrestrained stretchability of the outer panel without creating any feeling of discomfort.
According to this invention, there is provided a disposable garment comprising an elastically stretchable outer panel having transversely opposite side edge portions and longitudinally opposite end portions and a body fluid absorbent inner panel attached to an inner surface of the outer panel and having longitudinally opposite end position, and the outer and inner panels being connected to each other along their front end portions and their rear end portions on the inner surface of the outer panel by means of elastically stretchable connector sheets which extend between the front end portions and between the rear end portions of the two panels, respectively.
The disposable garment according to this invention has the important feature that the outer panel and the inner panel are connected to each other by means of the connector sheets. This unique arrangement is effective to ensure that the outer panel can be stretchable transversely of the garment without being restricted by the inner panel and the waist regions of the garment can be held fit around the wearer""s body.
The additional important feature of this invention lies in that the outer panel and the connector sheets are joined together under no tension exerted to these components. Such unique arrangement is effective to avoid a possibility that the outer panel and/or the connector sheets might be formed with gathers and, in consequence, create the wearer a feeling of discomfort.